Proverbs 3:5-6 Meaning: What Are You Leaning On?
Everybody leans on something. The question is what.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
A father talking to his son
Proverbs 1 to 9 is framed as a father's instruction to his son. Chapter 3 opens with "My son, do not forget my teaching" (3:1), and comes back to "My son" again in verses 11 and 21.
So this isn't a slogan on a coffee mug. It's what a father wants his son to hold onto when he's out on his own.
Lean is a picture
Trust is batach: to feel secure, to rely on. Lean is sha'an: to put your whole weight on something. It's the word used for Saul leaning on his spear (2 Samuel 1:6).
So the question isn't whether you're leaning. Everybody leans on something. Your own plan, your paycheck, your own smarts. The question is what can actually hold your weight.
More than a nod
Acknowledge is yada: to know. Not a nod in God's direction, but knowing Him, in all your ways. The commute, the shift, the bills.
Make straight is yashar: to make level or smooth, clearing the road ahead. Verse 7 finishes the thought: "Be not wise in your own eyes."
What are you trying to figure out on your own that you need to hand Him?
Open your Bible and read all of Proverbs 3. Sit with it a minute, then go.